Human Rights Council Adopts Seven Resolutions, Urgently Establishes a Group of Three Independent Experts on Belarus, Extends Mandates on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Syria, Ukraine, Haiti, Mali and Belarus

The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted seven resolutions, urgently establishing a group of three independent experts on the situation of human rights in Belarus, and extending mandates on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Syria, Ukraine, Haiti, Mali and Belarus.

One other resolution concerned technical assistance and capacity building for South Sudan.

In a resolution on the situation of human rights in Belarus, adopted by a vote of 24 in favour, 6 against and 17 abstentions, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus for a period of one year. The Council also decided to urgently establish, for a renewable period of one year, a group of three independent experts on the situation of human rights in Belarus, to be appointed by the President of the Council; requested the group of experts to present an oral update to the Council at its fifty-seventh session and a comprehensive report at its fifty-eighth session, both to be followed by an interactive dialogue.

Concerning the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Council decided to further strengthen the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner, including its field-based structure in Seoul, with further additional resources and expertise; requested the High Commissioner to submit a comprehensive report containing an update on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea since 2014, when the report of the commission of inquiry was published, to the Council at its sixtieth session, to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue; and decided to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 37/28, for a period of one year.

As for the situation of human rights in Syria, the Council adopted a resolution by a vote of 27 in favour, 5 against and 15 abstentions, in which it decided to extend the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic for a period of one year and requested the Commission of Inquiry to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council during an interactive dialogue at its fifty-sixth session and to present an updated report during an interactive dialogue at both the fifty-seventh and fifty-eighth sessions of the Council.

In a resolution on the situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression, adopted by a vote of 27 in favour, 3 against and 17 abstentions, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine for a further period of one year. It requested the Commission of Inquiry to provide an oral update to the Council at its fifty-seventh session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue; to submit a comprehensive report to the Council at its fifty-eighth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue; and to submit a report to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session, also to be followed by an interactive dialogue.

On technical assistance and capacity building to improve the situation of human rights in Haiti, in connection with a request from the authorities of Haiti for coordinated and targeted international action, the Council decided to extend, for a renewable period of one year, the mandate of the independent human rights expert appointed by the High Commissioner and tasked with undertaking the monitoring of the human rights situation in Haiti and the provision of advice and technical assistance to the Haitian Government, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations, to assist in their efforts to ensure respect for human rights. The Council also requested the High Commissioner to provide to the Council an interim report on the situation of human rights in Haiti at its fifty-seventh session and a full report on the subject at its fifty-eighth session.

Concerning technical assistance and capacity building for Mali in the field of human rights, the Council decided to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali for a period of one year in order to permit him to continue to evaluate the situation of human rights in Mali and to provide his assistance in ensuring the promotion, protection and implementation of human rights and strengthening the rule of law. The Council requested the Independent Expert to submit a report to the Council at its fifty-eighth session, and decided to hold a dialogue at its fifty-eighth session, in the presence of the Independent Expert and representatives of the Transitional Government of Mali, to assess the changes in the situation of human rights in the country, with a particular focus on the issue of the protection of civilians while countering terrorism.

As for technical assistance and capacity building for South Sudan, the Council called upon the Government of South Sudan to continue to make progress in finalising all layers of State and local government, in accordance with the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan; and urged immediate high-level political discussion among all the signatories to the Revitalised Agreement to address the outstanding issues. The Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to enhance the technical assistance provided to the Government of South Sudan. It requested the Office of the High Commissioner to present to the Council, at its fifty-seventh session, an oral update, including on progress made, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, with the participation of representatives of the African Union, and to present a comprehensive report to the Council at its fifty-eighth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue.

The webcast of the Human Rights Council meetings can be found here. All meeting summaries can be found here. Documents and reports related to the Human Rights Council’s fifty-fifth regular session can be found here.

The Council will reconvene on Friday, 5 April, at 9:30 a.m. to take action on six remaining draft resolutions and decisions, and to appoint mandate holders, before concluding its fifty-fifth session.

Action on Resolutions under Agenda Item Four on Human Rights Situations that Require the Council’s Attention

In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.19) on the Situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, adopted without a vote, the Council condemns in the strongest terms the long-standing and ongoing systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations and other human rights abuses committed in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and expresses again its grave concern at the detailed findings made by the commission of inquiry in its report, in the ongoing monitoring and documentation work of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the country. The Council therefore, decides to further strengthen the capacity of the Office of the High Commissioner, including its field-based structure in Seoul, with further additional resources and expertise for increasing the amount of first-hand information in the repository by expanding the number of interviews, and for the analysis of that information; requests the High Commissioner to submit a comprehensive report containing an update on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea since 2014, when the report of the commission of inquiry was published, and taking stock of the implementation of the commission’s recommendations, to the Human Rights Council at its sixtieth session, to be followed by an enhanced interactive dialogue; and decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 37/28, for a period of one year.

In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.21) on the Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic, adopted by a vote of 27 in favour, 5 against and 15 abstentions, the Council expresses grave concern that the crisis in the Syrian Arab Republic continues and that the conflict has been marked by consistent patterns of gross violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law; strongly condemns all violations and abuses and the ongoing human rights situation; demands that all parties to the conflict immediately comply with their respective obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law; and emphasises the need to ensure that all those responsible for such violations and abuses are held to account. Therefore, the Council decides to extend the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic for a period of one year and requests the Commission of Inquiry to present an oral update to the Human Rights Council during an interactive dialogue at its fifty-sixth session and to present an updated report during an interactive dialogue at both the fifty-seventh and fifty-eighth sessions of the Council.

The results of the vote are as follows:

In favour (27): Albania, Argentina, Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, Japan, Kuwait, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Montenegro, Netherlands, Paraguay, Qatar, Romania, and United States.

Against (5): Algeria, Burundi, China, Cuba, and Eritrea.

Abstentions (15): Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Viet Nam.

In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.25) on the Situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression, adopted by a vote of 27 in favour, 3 against and 17 abstentions, the Council calls upon the Russian Federation to immediately end its human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law in Ukraine; calls for the swift and verifiable withdrawal of Russian Federation troops and Russian-backed armed groups from the entire territory of Ukraine; urges the Russian Federation to stop the illegal drafting and mobilisation of residents of the temporarily controlled or occupied territories of Ukraine into the armed forces of the Russian Federation; urges full, timely, immediate, unhindered and safe humanitarian access, including across conflict lines; urges the Russian Federation to cease the unlawful forced transfer and deportation of civilians and other protected persons within Ukraine or to the Russian Federation; decides to extend the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine for a further period of one year, complementing, consolidating and building upon the work of the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, in close coordination with the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; requests the Commission of Inquiry to provide an oral update to the Council at its fifty-seventh session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, to submit a comprehensive report to the Council at its fifty-eighth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, and to submit a report to the General Assembly at its seventy-ninth session, also to be followed by an interactive dialogue; requests the Secretary-General to ensure the availability of all the resources necessary to enable the Commission of Inquiry to carry out its mandate; and decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

The results of the vote are as follows:

In favour (27): Albania, Argentina, Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Paraguay, Romania, United Arab Emirates and, United States.

Against(3): Burundi, China, and Eritrea.

Abstentions (17): Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Morocco, Qatar, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, and Viet Nam.

In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.24) on the Situation of human rights in Belarus, adopted by a vote of 24 in favour, 6 against and 17 abstentions, the Council strongly urges the Belarusian authorities to comply fully with all their obligations under international human rights law, and to relaunch a national dialogue on a moratorium on the death penalty and its eventual abolition; decides to extend the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus for a period of one year, effective from the end of its fifty-sixth session, and requests the Special Rapporteur to continue to monitor developments and to make recommendations on ways to strengthen respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights in Belarus, to hold consultations with all stakeholders, and to submit a report on the situation of human rights in Belarus to the Council at its fifty-ninth session and to the General Assembly at its eightieth session, including in an easy-to-read version and in an accessible format; also decides to urgently establish, for a renewable period of one year, a group of three independent experts on the situation of human rights in Belarus, to be appointed by the President of the Council; requests the group of experts to present an oral update to the Council at its fifty-seventh session and a comprehensive report at its fifty-eighth session, including in an easy-to-read version and in an accessible format, both to be followed by an interactive dialogue; urges the Belarusian authorities to establish full and non-selective engagement with all United Nations human rights mechanisms; and requests the immediate operationalisation of the mandates, and also requests the Secretary-General and the Office of the High Commissioner to provide the Special Rapporteur and the group of experts with all necessary assistance and adequate human, technical and financial resources to enable the effective fulfilment of their mandates.

The results of the vote are as follows:

In favour (24): Albania, Argentina, Belgium, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Honduras, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Montenegro, Netherlands, Paraguay, Romania, and United States.

Against (6): Algeria, Burundi, China, Cuba, Eritrea, and Viet Nam.

Abstentions (17): Bangladesh, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Qatar, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, and United Arab Emirates.

Action on Resolutions under Agenda Item 10 on Technical Assistance and Capacity Building

In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.23) on Technical assistance and capacity building to improve the situation of human rights in Haiti, in connection with a request from the authorities of Haiti for coordinated and targeted international action, adopted without a vote (as orally revised), the Council expresses grave concern that the worsening of the violence perpetrated by the armed gangs that control most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is creating a situation of alarming insecurity, is undermining the human rights efforts of the Government of Haiti, and is impeding the enjoyment of human rights by the Haitian people. The Council requests the Office of the High Commissioner to cooperate with the Government of Haiti by providing technical assistance and support for building the human rights capacities of the Haitian judiciary, security forces and prison administration and to support the implementation of the recommendations accepted during the last cycle of the universal periodic review. The Council also decides to extend, for a renewable period of one year, the mandate of the independent human rights expert appointed by the High Commissioner and tasked with undertaking the monitoring of the human rights situation in Haiti and the provision of advice and technical assistance to the Haitian Government, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations, to assist in their efforts to ensure respect for human rights. The Council also requests the High Commissioner to provide to the Council an interim report on the situation of human rights in Haiti at its fifty-seventh session and a full report on the subject at its fifty-eighth session. Finally, the Council requests the Secretary-General to make available to the Office of the High Commissioner the support required for the establishment of an Office in Haiti.

In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.32) on Technical assistance and capacity building for Mali in the field of human rights, adopted without a vote, the Council reiterates its call for an immediate halt to all human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law and for the strict observance of all human rights and fundamental freedoms; requests all parties to allow safe, full, immediate and unhindered humanitarian access; decides to extend the mandate of the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali for a period of one year in order to permit him to continue to evaluate the situation of human rights in Mali and to provide his assistance in ensuring the promotion, protection and implementation of human rights and strengthening the rule of law; also requests the Independent Expert to submit a report to the Council at its fifty-eighth session; decides to hold a dialogue at its fifty-eighth session, in the presence of the Independent Expert and representatives of the Transitional Government of Mali, to assess the changes in the situation of human rights in the country, with a particular focus on the issue of the protection of civilians while countering terrorism; invites the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to provide the Independent Expert with all the assistance he needs to discharge his mandate; requests the Office of the High Commissioner to continue to provide the technical assistance requested by the Transitional Government of Mali in order to strengthen the capacity of the National Human Rights Commission of Mali; urges the international community to continue to provide Mali with the assistance needed to ensure its stability; and decides to remain seized of this matter.

In a resolution (A/HRC/55/L.34/Rev.1) on Technical assistance and capacity building for South Sudan, adopted without a vote, the Council calls upon the Government of South Sudan to continue to make progress in finalising all layers of State and local government, in accordance with the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan; urges immediate high-level political discussion among all the signatories to the Revitalised Agreement to address the outstanding issues; calls upon the Government of South Sudan to provide all necessary resources to the National Elections Commission, the National Constitutional Review Commission, and the Political Parties Council, and encourages the international community to provide technical assistance to these institutions; requests the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to enhance the technical assistance provided to the Government of South Sudan to continue to assist South Sudan in addressing human rights challenges in the post-conflict transition, including by reporting to the Council on the technical and capacity building support provided to the Government of South Sudan; also requests the Office of the High Commissioner to present to the Council, at its fifty-seventh session, an oral update, including on progress made, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, with the participation of representatives of the African Union, and to present a comprehensive report to the Council at its fifty-eighth session, to be followed by an interactive dialogue; requests the Secretary-General to provide all the resources necessary to enable the Office of the High Commissioner to provide such administrative, technical and logistical support as necessary to implement the provisions of the present resolution; and decides to remain seized of the matter.

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